KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian developers have won four top places out of the 14 categories contested in the Fiabci International Prix d’ Excellence Award 2011 with another three being runners-up, making this year’s outing the most lucrative.

The winners, from nine countries namely the United States, China, India, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Hungary, Singapore and Cyprus, were announced in a gala event held in Cyprus on Thursday night.

The Malaysian developers who picked up the four awards were SP Setia Bhd, Gloharta Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sunway Pyramid Sdn Bhd and The Western Langkawi Resort & Spa.

SP Setia won the award for Precint 3 Setia Eco Park in the low-rise development category, Gloharta’s Bunga Raya Island Resort and Spa in Kota Kinabalu was the winner in the resort development category and Sunway Pyramid’s mall expansion was top in the retail development category.

The other winner was The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa.

The runners-up were MMC-Gamuda Joint Venture Sdn Bhd’s Kuala Lumpur Smart Tunnel, Coronation Springs Sdn Bhd’s Springtide Residences in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, and Cahaya Jauhar Sdn Bhd’s Kota Iskandar (Phase 1) in Nusajaya, Johor. About 60 projects were submitted for the international award.

International Real Estate Federation (Fiabci) Malaysia president Yeow Thit Sang said this was an indication that our standards had gone up.

“For those who won, their victory is a marketing tool for them. It is a recognition of the holistic nature of their respective development and how it benefits the community it is intended for. They have won because they have met the criteria,” he said.

The successful outing, he added, was significant as it showed that the Malaysian property sector was evolving with new products and new concepts entering the market.

Setia Eco Park spans 790 acres of freehold land in Shah Alam of which 25% of the land has been set aside for lakes, gardens and walkways. It has extensive facilities like tennis courts, swimming pools, badminton and squash courts.

The award marked the SP Setia group as the only Malaysian developer to be recognised three times as a winner at the global level by Fiabci.

It was the second Prix d’Excellence Award for Setia Eco Park following its 2007 win in the Master Plan category.

“We are extremely proud of this achievement and recognition given by an international world body like Fiabci. As the country’s No. 1 property developer, we hold our heads high as we carry the Malaysian flag abroad,” said SP Setia group president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin.

SOURCE: The Star